Chocolate compositions containing ethylcellulose

ABSTRACT

A heat resistant chocolate containing ethylcellulose. The ethylcellulose is introduced into the chocolate as a solution in oil or in a non-aqueous solvent, suitably in an amount of from about 1% to about 3% ethylcellulose by weight. Ethylcellulose oleogels may also be used to replace a portion of the oils and fats normally present in chocolate and/or to formulate fillings for filled chocolates exhibiting reduced oil migration. Also provided are methods of making chocolate compositions according to the invention.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention claims priority of US61/213,480 filed on 12 Jun.2010 and US61/213,738 filed on 8 Jul. 2010.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to chocolate compositions and productsthat contain ethylcellulose.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One technical problem addressed by the present invention is theprovision of heat-resistant chocolate. That is to say, chocolate thatcan retain its shape at higher temperatures, for example temperaturesabove about 30° C. or even above 40° C. The provision of such aheat-resistant chocolate that also achieves good mouthfeel and tasteproperties would greatly simplify the distribution and consumption ofchocolate in hot countries.

Ordinary chocolate is composed primarily of fats or fatty substances,such as cocoa butter, in which there are dispersed non-fat products suchas cocoa components, sugars, proteins, etc. Therefore, since chocolateis primarily constituted by fat bodies, its melting temperature isrelatively low. This means that ordinary chocolate is not particularlyresistant to summer temperatures or the heat of tropical countries.Therefore, a need exists for a chocolate which is resistant torelatively high ambient temperatures.

A variety of means have been utilized in the past to attempt to remedythe relatively low melting temperature of ordinary chocolate. Forexample, fats of higher melting temperature can be selected forincorporation into the chocolate.

US2008/0248186 describes heat-resistant chocolate made with aninteresterified cocoa butter having higher melting properties thanunmodified cocoa butter. However, this procedure is expensive, and canresult in chocolate having an undesirable taste and/or texture.

Methods which disrupt the continuous chocolate fatty phase, therebyminimizing the influence of the melting point of the fat on the overallsoftening of the chocolate mass, have also been used. Such disruption ofthe continuous chocolate fatty phase has been effected in the past byvarious means, including direct water addition to the chocolate.Unfortunately, chocolate manufactured by direct water addition exhibitsinferior product quality due to a coarse, gritty texture. Disruption ofthe continuous chocolate fatty phase has also been effected by includingin the composition a variety of particles, often solid particles. Theseprocesses unfortunately often result in an undesirable rough texture, ormouth feel, in the chocolate.

CH-A-410607 concerns a chocolate composition which contains hydrophilicsubstances such as dextrose, maltose, inverted sugar, etc. Whenchocolate is made with such a composition, it is exposed to a moistatmosphere whereby it absorbs a certain quantity of water. This causes arelative increase in the volume occupied by the hydrophilic substancesand was said to improve heat resistance.

CH-A-399891 and CH-A-489211 are directed to a method of incorporatingamorphous sugars into a chocolate composition during manufacture. Thesugars cause the formation in the mass of a lattice structure whichprevents collapse of the mass when the temperature exceeds the meltingpoint of the fat bodies used in its preparation.

CH-A-409603 involves the direct incorporation of water into a chocolatecomposition during its manufacture. The water however, which is about 5%relative to the composition, causes a rapid thickening of the mass attemperatures where normally the mass is still a liquid. Unfortunately,since the mass is no longer liquid, it is not possible to use thecomposition to cast chocolate into molds. Thus the composition must beground and the obtained powder must be pressed into shape by compressionmolding. U.S. Pat. No. 2,760,867 involves the incorporation of waterinto chocolate by the addition of an emulsifier such as lecithin. U.S.Pat. No. 4,081,559 concerns the addition to chocolate of an amount ofsugar such that when the quantity of water required to obtainheat-resistant chocolate is added, there is formed an aqueous sugarsolution in which at least one edible fat of the chocolate isemulsified.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,116 is directed to a composition used in thepreparation of a heat-resistant chocolate. However, the water-in-fatemulsion prepared in accordance with the teachings of this patentresults in a product containing at least 20% of the fat in solid form,and the water-in-fat mixture used in accordance with this patent doesnot remain in liquid form during processing. Presence of such solidbodies results in an undesired rough texture or mouth feel.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,560 describes a heat-resistant or thermally robustchocolate and method for making same by adding moisture to chocolatethrough use of lipid microstructure technology such as reverse micelletechnology to form a stable water-in-oil emulsion, for example, hydratedlecithin. The stable water-in-oil emulsion is added to temperedchocolate during processing, and upon aging and stabilization, thermalrobustness develops in the chocolate product. Further heat-resistantchocolate comprising water-in-oil microemulsions is described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,486,376.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,735 describes a heat-resistant chocolate made byincorporating water in the form of a dispersion of an aqueous gel,wherein the gelling agent is an edible carbohydrate or a pectin.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,927 describes a heat-resistant chocolate made byadding a polyol, such as glycerol or sorbitol, to chocolate. CH-A-519858involves incorporating fat bodies into a chocolate composition in anencapsulated state to improve heat resistance. U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,559describes a heat-resistant chocolate made by dispersing the fat phase ofthe chocolate in a sugar glass matrix.

EP-A-0688506 describes a heat-resistant chocolate made by mixing apolyol gel product in particulate form with a flowable mixture ofchocolate type ingredients. The polyol gel may be formed by gelation ofa polyol or a polyol/water mixture with a gelling agent. The polyolwhich is used for gelation is preferably a liquid such as a dihydricalcohol, a trihydric alcohol such as glycerol, mannitol, sorbitol,propylene glycol or corn syrup or any combination thereof.

A further technical problem addressed by the present invention is theuse of inexpensive and/or healthy oils in the fat phase of chocolate orin fat-based fillings for filled chocolates. Research into the role fatsand oils play in human health has indicated that consumption ofsaturated fats and trans fatty acids is associated with increasedincidences of cancer, heart disease, elevated cholesterol levels and ahost of other health problems.

In the food industry there have been many attempts to find alternativecomponents that can provide the desired features of texture,structuring, stability and taste that are normally found in animal andvegetable fats or hydrogenated oils. One alternative, organogels, havebeen recognized for their potential to be used to reduce oil migrationin multi component foods and to act as an alternative to butter ormargarine. Organogels can be used to provide structure to edible oilsthereby reducing the need for saturated and trans fatty acids. While thepotential of organogels as soft materials for use in the food industryis recognized, there is a lack of good food grade organogelators. Thereremains an unmet need for food grade compositions that can provide thefunctionality and properties of a solid fat at a reasonable cost.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,187,323 describes pharmaceutical and cosmeticcompositions comprising a mixture of a gelled oil and an aqueous gel.The oil may be gelled with ethylcellulose by heating to 140° C. todissolve the ethylcellulose.

WO2008/081175 describes compositions containing an active agent forcosmetic and pharmaceutical applications, similar to those of U.S. Pat.No. 6,187,323. The compositions are homogeneous mixtures (not emulsions)of an oil component with an aqueous component. The oil component isgelled with ethylcellulose at 120° C. or 150° C. prior to mixing withthe aqueous component. The aqueous component is gelled with aconventional cosmetic gelling agent.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,913 describes edible fat particles for incorporationinto textured protein meat analog products. The edible fat products aremade by gelling an oil with ethylcellulose at 180° C. The gelled fat isthen added to the meat analog product. There does not appear to be anydisclosure of including a surfactant in the gelled oil.

M. A. Ruiz-Martinez et al. in Il Farmaco, 58 (2003) 1289-1294 describecompositions formed by dispersing ethylcellulose with certainpolyethylene glycol (PEG)-olivate ester surfactants in olive oil at 100°C. Although these compositions are described as oleogels, thedescription and rheological data in the reference confirm that they arenot, in fact, gels. In particular, the measured ratios of elasticmodulus to viscous modulus (G′/G″) for the compositions are much lessthan 1 when measured at 1 Hz, which is consistent with viscous liquidsor pastes but not gels.

A further technical problem addressed by the present invention is thereduction of oil migration in filled chocolate products. This problemarises in chocolates having a chocolate coating over an oil- orfat-containing filling such as a praline, a mousse, a cream, or aganache (e.g. truffle) filling. Over time, it is found that oil from thefilling migrates through the chocolate coating to form an oil bloom onthe surface of the chocolate coating. This problem is sometimesaddressed by providing a barrier layer between the fat-based filling andthe chocolate coating, for example a layer of an oleophobic orhydrophilic material such as a sugar or a starch.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a heat resistantchocolate containing ethylcellulose.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a chocolatecomposition comprising an ethylcellulose oleogel.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides a filled chocolateproduct having a chocolate coating and a filling, wherein the fillingcomprises an ethylcellulose oleogel.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides a method ofpreparing a chocolate composition, said method comprising:

a) preparing a mixture of food-grade ethylcellulose in an edible oil;b) adding a surfactant to the ethylcellulose and oil mixture;c) heating the ethylcellulose/oil/surfactant mixture to a temperatureabove the glass transition temperature of the ethylcellulose withmixing, followed byd) adding this stock to a reduced fat chocolate composition.

Suitably, in embodiments according to this aspect, said methodcomprising the steps of:

a) preparing a mixture of ethylcellulose, sorbitan monostearate (SMS)and an oil at a ratio of about 18:6:76 w/w/w,b) heating the mixture to a temperature above the glass transitiontemperature of the ethylcellulose polymer while mixing, andc) adding this stock to a reduced fat, heated chocolate at 60° C. to 90°C. at 1:3 to 1:9 (w/w) levels; andd) cooling the mixture to form said chocolate composition.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides a method ofpreparing a chocolate composition, said method comprising:

a) preparing a mixture of ethylcellulose and 95-100% ethanolb) allowing the ethycellulose to dissolve completely in the ethanol toform an ethylcellulose-ethanol composition,c) adding the composition to a molten chocolate stock at a ratio ofabout 5-15% w/w to form a chocolate composition,e) cooling the chocolate composition to about 5-15° C., andf) removing the alcohol from the chocolate composition.

It will be appreciated that any feature that is described herein inrelation to any one or more aspects of the invention may also be appliedto any other aspect of the invention. The compositions of the inventionare suitably obtainable by, or produced by, one of the methods of theinvention.

It has been found that chocolate wherein at least a portion of the fatcontinuous phase contains dissolved ethylcellulose exhibits remarkableresistance to softening at temperatures of up to 40° C. or more. Theinvention also potentially allow for a wide range of new chocolatecompositions by replacing fats or oils conventionally present inchocolate by oils that have been gelled with ethylcellulose. Some ofthese replacement oils could contain particularly low levels ofsaturated fat and thus be healthier. Finally, the use ofethylcellulose-gelled oils in the fat-based fillings of filledchocolates reduces oil migration from the filling to the surface of thechocolate.

Suitably, the chocolate compositions according to the present inventioncomprise from about 0.5% to about 5% w/w, for example from about 1.5% toabout 3% w/w, in particular from about 2% to about 2.5% w/wethylcellulose. At lower ethylcellulose contents the chocolate may lacksufficient heat resistance. At higher ethylcellulose contents the meltedchocolate may become too viscous to pump or mold conveniently.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the invention will become more apparent fromthe following description in which reference is made to the appendeddrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating the formation of a polymer organogelby heat treatment;

FIG. 2 shows a graph of yield stress at 40° C. versus ethylcellulosecontent for a first compound milk chocolate made by the solventsubstitution method;

FIG. 3 shows graphs of yield stress at 40° C. versus ethylcellulosecontent for (A) a second compound milk chocolate or (B) a compound darkchocolate.

FIGS. 4( a) and 4(b) are graphs showing viscoelastic properties of anethylcellulose oleogel;

FIG. 5 is a graph of oil migration against time for cream fillings foruse in filled chocolates of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The term “chocolate” is intended to refer to all chocolate orchocolate-like compositions with a fat phase or fat-like composition. Asthe invention is directed in certain aspects to the control of thecharacteristics of the fat or fat-like phase of the chocolate, ratherthan the non-fat materials within the chocolate, the term is intended toinclude all chocolate and chocolate-like compositions. The term isintended, for example, to include standardized and non-standardizedchocolates, i.e., including chocolates with compositions conforming tothe U.S. Standards Of Identity (SOI) and compositions not conforming tothe U.S. Standards Of Identity, respectively, including dark chocolate,baking chocolate, milk chocolate, sweet chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate,buttermilk chocolate, skim-milk chocolate, mixed dairy productchocolate, low fat chocolate, white chocolate, aerated chocolates,compound coatings, non-standardized chocolates and chocolate-likecompositions, unless specifically identified otherwise. Relevant USStandards of Identity include those identified in the Code of FederalRegulations as revised 1 Apr. 2009 under references 21CFR163.XXX,wherein XXX=123, 124, 130, 135, 140, 145, 150, 153 or 155. Chocolateherein also includes those containing crumb solids or solids fully orpartially made by a crumb process.

Nonstandardized chocolates are those chocolates which have compositionswhich fall outside the specified ranges of the standardized chocolates.Nonstandardized chocolates result when, for example, the nutritivecarbohydrate sweetener is replaced partially or completely; or when thecocoa butter or milkfat are replaced partially or completely; or whencomponents that have flavors that imitate milk, butter or chocolate areadded or other additions or deletions in formula are made outside theFDA standards of identity of chocolate or combinations thereof.

The term “heat resistant chocolate” herein refers to a modifiedchocolate composition that remains firm at temperatures up to at leastabout 40° C. Conventional chocolate melts at temperatures in the range32° C.-40° C., depending on its composition and manufacturing method.Suitably, the heat resistant chocolate of the present invention exhibitsa yield force at 2 mm displacement and 40° C., measured according toProcedure 1 below, of at least about 300 grams force (gf), for exampleat least about 600 gf, suitably at least about 1000 grams force (gf).Suitably, the chocolate compositions also remain substantiallynon-sticky at temperatures of at least about 40° C. Suitably, thechocolate compositions according to the present invention comprise lessthan about 2 wt. % of water, for example less than about 1.5 wt. % ofwater, typically less than about 1 wt. % of water.

Ethylcellulose (EC) is a nutritionally beneficial fiber and nutritionalfibers are often lacking in our diets, In addition, ethycellulose is aGRAS material (generally regarded as safe) for use in food productsmaking EC, particularly EC having intermediate viscosities such as about10 cp to about 50 cp, especially suitable for the invention. The cpvalues refer to viscosity in centipoise of a 5% solution of the EC in80% toluene/20% ethanol at 25° C., and therefore correlate to themolecular weight of the EC. The weight fraction of ethoxyl groups of theethylcellulose is suitably from about 25% to about 75%, for example fromabout 40% to about 60%. Suitable ethylcelluloses are available from DowChemical Co. under the registered trade mark ETHOCEL.

The term “gel” herein is used in its usual sense of a material having acontinuous structure with macroscopic dimensions that is permanent onthe time scale of an analytical experiment and is solid-like in itsrheological properties. Gels bounce rather than flow, and exhibitsubstantially linear viscoelastic characteristics, at stresses belowtheir yield stress. Gels have a melting point. Gels are convenientlydefined by their rheological properties, in particular their yieldstress and the ratio of their elastic modulus to their viscous modulus(G′/G″) as measured at 20° C. and 1 Hz in a conventional viscoelasticanalyzer as described below. Gel-like behaviour is characterized byG′/G″ greater than about 1 under these conditions. The gels of thepresent invention suitably have yield stresses greater than about 10 Pa,more suitably greater than about 20 Pa, for example from about 25 Pa toabout 300 Pa. The gels of the present invention suitably have G′/G″greater than about 1, more suitably greater than about 2, under theseconditions.

The gels used in the invention may be strong gels. Strong gels arepreferred for food applications because they have physical propertiescloser to those of fat, and are more effective for reducing oilmigration. The term “strong gel” herein refers to gels having highmechanical strength and elasticity. Suitably, strong gels have yieldstresses greater than about 50 Pa and G′/G″ greater than about 3 forexample greater than about 5 at 1 Hz and 20° C.

The term “oleogel” herein refers to a gel having a continuous oil phasehaving the ethylcellulose uniformly dispersed in the gel phase andfunctioning as the gelling agent. The oleogels are suitably clear andtranslucent or even transparent materials having the physical propertiesof a true gel as described above. A surfactant is suitably likewisehomogeneously distributed through the gel. Thus, the surfactant is notconcentrated at the surface of oil or water micelles as in an emulsion,nor in layered structures as in a liquid crystal. The oleogel mayconsist essentially of one or more oils or fats, the ethylcellulose, andthe surfactant. The oleogel is suitably anhydrous, that is to say itsuitably has a water content of less than about 10% w/w, for exampleless than about 5% w/w, more suitably less than about 2% w/w.

It has now been found that dispersing a solution of ethylcellulose inmelted chocolate prior to cooling and solidification of the chocolateresults in an increase in the heat resistance of the resulting chocolatecompared to an identical composition prepared without theethylcellulose. The benefits of improved heat resistance, reduced oilmigration, etc. are diminished or eliminated if the ethylcellulose isadded directly as powder to melted chocolate at temperatures below 100°C. It is thought that the step of dissolution substantially changes thesecondary structure of the ethylcellulose molecule to provide thebenefits of the invention. The term “dissolved ethylcellulose” hereintherefore refers to ethylcellulose that has been dispersed in thechocolate as a solution of ethylcellulose in an oil or a suitablenon-aqueous solvent. It appears that the effect of ethylcellulose on theheat resistance of chocolate may be due to a complex interaction betweenthe ethylcellulose, the fat phase, and one or more of the solid phasesin the chocolate.

The solution of ethylcellulose may be prepared by dissolving theethylcellulose in a suitable food-acceptable non-aqueous solvent such asethanol. In these embodiments, the solvent is normally removed byevaporation after mixing with the chocolate melt. Suitably, theethylcellulose is dissolved in ethanol at a concentration of from about1% w/v to about 40% w/v, for example about 10% w/v to about 25% w/v. Thestep of dissolving the ethylcellulose in the solvent may be performed atambient or slightly elevated temperatures. The solution is added tochocolate in the molten state and mixed thoroughly. The solvent isremoved by evaporation while the chocolate is in the molten state, orafter setting of the chocolate, for example in a vacuum drier. Thismethod is referred to herein as the “solvent substitution” method.

In alternative embodiments, the solution of ethylcellulose may beprepared by dissolving the ethylcellulose in a fat or oil at atemperature above the glass transition temperature of the ethylcellulose(Tg, typically about 130° C.), such as at least about 130° C., forexample from about 135° C. to about 160° C. This is followed by at leastpartially cooling the solution and adding the solution to a reduced-fatchocolate mixture to achieve the final composition. The solution issuitably cooled to about 60° C. to about 90° C. before addition to thechocolate mixture. This process has the advantage that it avoids the useof volatile solvents. It has the further advantage that theethylcellulose may initially be dissolved in an oil having desirableproperties, and/or an oil that would not normally be suitable for use inthe production of chocolate, and this oil may then replace a portion ofthe normal fat content of the chocolate. This is referred to herein asthe “fat substitution” method.

Ethylcellulose (EC) has been shown to form anhydrous polymer organogelsof edible oils at concentrations greater than 3% (w/w) in oil. Toachieve this, the EC and surfactant in oil is heated up to a temperatureabove the glass transition temperature of the polymer (Tg isapproximately 130° C.) with constant mixing. It has been found that theinitial dispersion temperature above the glass transition temperature ofthe ethylcellulose is important to achieve complete dissolution of theethylcellulose and a strong gel. After a few minutes, all the EC powderhas dissolved and the solution is clear and very viscous (depending onthe concentration of EC in oil). The useful concentration range isbetween 4% and 20% (w/w) EC in oil, for example from about 4% to about10% w/w. EC will gel oil by itself; stable gels can be produced that aretranslucent and stiff, but they are grainy and brittle in nature, setvery fast, and have a relatively high gelation temperature, typicallyabout 110-120° C., which is not suitable for many food applications. Ithas been found that the addition of the surfactant provides importantadvantages in the compositions and methods of the invention. Thesurfactant does not reduce the temperature required for the initialdissolution of the ethylcellulose, which remains the glass transitiontemperature even in the presence of the surfactant. However, once theethylcellulose has been dissolved to form the gel, the surfactantplasticises the gel to lower the gelation temperature of the formed gel.The solution of the ethylcellulose in the oil may therefore remain morereadily miscible with the other ingredients during the step of additionto melted chocolate or dry chocolate ingredients at moderatetemperatures, which is desirable for efficient mixing.

It has been found that the strength of the gel formed by dispersingethylcellulose in oil depends on the choice of ethylcellulose, the oil,the presence of a surfactant, and the dispersion temperature.

Various types of oils may be used such as, but not limited to, Soybeanoil, Canola oil, Corn oil, Sunflower oil, Safflower oil, Flaxseed oil,Almond oil, Peanut oil, Fish oil, Algal oil, Palm oil, Palm stearin,Palm olein, Palm kernel oil, high oleic soybean, canola, sunflower,safflower oils, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, hydrogenated palm stearin,fully hydrogenated soybean, canola or cottonseed oils, high stearicsunflower oil, Olive oil, enzymatically and chemically interesterifiedoils, butteroil, cocoa butter, avocado oil, almond oil, coconut oil,cottonseed oil, and mixtures thereof. A portion, for example up to about50% w/w, of the oils may be replaced by one or more fats.

Soybean oil forms very strong gels, and so does corn oil and flaxseedoil. Canola oil and the high oleic oils, on the other hand form weakergels. Flaxseed oil and most highly polyunsaturated nut, algal and fishoils form very strong gels. It would seem that oils that are high inpolyunsaturates such as linoleic, linolenic, DHA and EPA acids form thestrongest gels, while oils with high oleic acid contents do not form asstrong gels. More highly polyunsaturated oils are also more polar and ofhigher density. Considering all of the above, for general fatapplications, soybean oil or corn oil are preferred oils for theformation of gels. Medium and short-chain saturated fats and oils (MCTs)such as palm kernel oil and coconut oils also form strong gels. For theproduction of chocolate, palm kernel oil and cocoa butter are thereforesuitable in view of the well known use of these oils in conventionalchocolate compositions.

Suitably, the oleogels comprise from about 70% to about 95% of oils(including any fats), for example about 80% to about 90% of oils.

The addition of a surfactant to the polymer-oil mixture has been shownto result in the formation of polymer gels having desirable properties.Examples of surfactant components include, but are not limited toPolyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (Tween 80), Polyoxyethylene sorbitanmonostearate (Tween 60), Sorbitan monooleate (SMO or Span 80), Sorbitanmonostearate (SMS or Span 60), Glyceryl monooleate (GMO), Glycerylmonostearate (GMS) Glyceryl monopalmitate (GMP), Polyglyceryl ester oflauric acid-polyglyceryl polylaurate (PGPL), Polyglyceryl ester ofstearic acid-polyglyeryl polystearate (PGPS), Polyglyceryl ester ofoleic acid (PGPO)-Polyglyceryl polyoleate (PGPO), and Polyglyceryl esterof ricinoleic acid (PGPR).

The addition of a compatible surfactant plasticizes the polymer, slowsdown the gelation process (increases the gelation time) and induces theformation of stable, translucent, elastic, non-brittle gels. Thesurfactant does not lower the temperature that is needed to disperseethylcellulose in oil initially (see below), but the surfactant doesdecrease the gelation and melting temperatures of the gel after it hasformed. Suitably, the gelation temperature of the gel is reduced toabout 40° C. to about 90° C., for example about 60° C. to about 80° C.,by the surfactant. The term “gelation temperature” refers to thetemperature at which the oil-ethylcellulose-surfactant solution becomessolid on cooling, as determined visually by inversion. Gelled oils thatset above 100° C. would not be practical for mixing with meltedchocolate, as heating the chocolate to such high temperature forinclusion of the polymer solution would destroy or severely modify thenative food structure. Moreover, a fast gelation process would make itvery difficult for the ethylcellulose to be added to food products—theywould set into a gel too fast for proper incorporation and mixing. Apreferred surfactant for use in foods is one that decreases the gelationtemperature and slows down the gelation process.

Preferred surfactants were determined to be SMS, GMS, GMO, SMO and PGPL.

It will be apparent from the above that the surfactant is normally anon-ionic surfactant. Especially strong gels are observed when thesurfactant is an ester of a saturated C10-C24, suitably C14-C20, fattyacid with a polyhydric alcohol having two, three or more hydroxylgroups. Suitable saturated fatty acids include stearic (C18) andpalmitic (C16) acids. Suitably, the polyhydric alcohol has at least fourhydroxyl groups, such as a sugar alcohol or a polyglycerol. Anespecially suitable surfactant of this type is SMS.

The mouthfeel of SMS and SMO are superior to the other surfactants.

Surfactant esters of unsaturated fatty acids, such as GMO and SMO, areextremely good plasticizers, to the point where the reduction ingelation and melting temperature can be too extreme, leading to theformation of a gel with decreased thermal resistance. This translatesinto a need to have a higher polymer concentration in the final product.PGPL is a very good plasticizer, but overheating of PGPL can lead to thehydrolysis of lauric acid, which has a very undesirable taste. Suitably,the surfactants used in the present invention do not comprise PEGolivate esters, more particularly Olivem 900, 700 or 300.

The stiffness of the polymer gel increases with an increasing amount ofsurfactant (a lower polymer to surfactant ratio). However, there is alimit to how much surfactant can be added to foods. The practical rangeis a 10:1 to 1:1 w/w ethylcellulose-to-surfactant ratio. A ratio of fromabout 4:1 to about 2:1 w/w for example 3:1 w/wethylcellulose-to-surfactant was found to be a good compromise betweenobtaining good gel strength and minimizing the amount of surfactantadded in a food product.

Without wishing to be bound by any theory, the suggested mechanism ofthermal gel formation and surfactant interaction is shown in FIG. 1. Inthis example SMS is the surfactant. It is apparent to one skilled in theart that the same type of schematic can be applied to other surfactants.

The molecular weight of the ethylcellulose polymer plays a role in theformation of the gel. It has been found that EC with viscosity 4 cpforms very weak gels even at 10% (w/w) concentrations. EC withviscosities 100 cp and 300 cp are extremely high molecular weightpolymer mixtures and are difficult to dissolve and mix, form veryviscous sols, and set quickly at high temperatures (above 100° C.). Thisalso enhances the incorporation of air bubbles into the melt, which isnot desirable. Thus, the use of EC having viscosities 100 cp or 300 cpis not very practical in most food applications. Ethylcellulose ofintermediate molecular weight, such as 10 cp, 22 cp and 45 cp formstiff, translucent and elastic gels at 5-6% (w/w) concentrations in theoil phase. EC 22 cp and 45 cp dissolve readily in the oil, the sols arenot too viscous at 10-15% concentrations and they start gelling attemperatures between 70 and 90° C. EC 10 cp, 22 cp and 45 cp aresuitable for chocolate.

As discussed above, EC 22 cp is a preferred polymer for use in theinvention. Assuming an approximate molecular weight of EC 22 cp of40,000 g/mol and of SMS of 430.62 g/mol, a 3:1 w/w polymer-to-surfactantratio translates into a 1:31 mol/mol polymer-to-surfactant ratio.Considering the molecular weight of glucose as 180 g/mol, and of 50%substituted ethylglucose of 222 g/mol, and of a ethylglucose monomer incellulose as 204 g/mol, this translates to approximately 196 monomers ofglucose in EC22 cps. Thus 196/31=6, meaning that one molecule of SMS isbound to every sixth glucose monomer in the EC22 cps polymer. This isvery relevant since proper gel formation depends on a balance betweenpolymer-solvent and polymer-polymer interactions. Too high a solubilityof the polymer in the oil will preclude gel formation upon cooling. Notenough solubilization will preclude proper polymer swelling andextension of the chains in the solvent, which will then interact andform junction zones upon cooling, leading to gelation. It appears thatthe strength of binding is an important factor, as well as polymerconformation.

The ethylcellulose oleogels may be added to fat-reduced chocolatecompositions to replace a fraction of the fats present in chocolate withoils in order to enhance the healthiness of chocolate and/or to reducethe cost of chocolate and/or to improve the heat resistance of thechocolate, or for other purposes. This is referred to as the “fatsubstitution method” for producing chocolate compositions according tothe invention. Suitably, from about 1% to about 100% by weight of thefat content of the chocolate is replaced by the ethylcellulose oleogel,for example from about 50% to about 90%. It will be appreciated that theoleogel may itself comprise a mixture of fats, including fats such ascocoa butter or PKO that are commonly found in chocolate.

The ethylcellulose oleogels may also be used to formulate fat-containingfillings for filled chocolates and chocolate-coated products havingfat-containing fillings. The use of the ethylcellulose oleogels in thesefillings provides the additional advantage of reduced oil migration fromthe filling through the chocolate coating layer. Fillings that may beformulated with the ethylcellulose oleogels include without limitationpraline, ganache, cream and mousse fillings. Praline refers to a fillingcomprising crushed nuts, sugar and optionally other ingredients such aschocolate. Ganache refers to soft fillings based on a mixture comprisingchocolate with cream, butter or other fats, for example chocolatetruffle fillings. Cream refers to fillings having a fat/oil continuousphase. Mousse refers to fat-based aerated fillings. Suitably, thefillings in the filled chocolates of the invention comprise at leastabout 10% fat (and/or oil, i.e. total lipid content), for example fromabout 20% to about 60% fat. In all cases, a portion of the fat presentin the filling is an ethylcellulose oleogel as above. For example, thefillings may comprise from about 5% to about 90% w/w of the oleogel,typically from about 10% to about 50% of the oleogel. Suitably, thefillings comprise from about 1 wt. % to about 15 wt. %, for example fromabout 2 wt. % to about 10 wt. % of ethylcellulose. The fillings arecoated at least over a part of their surface, and preferably arecompletely coated, with a layer of chocolate, which may be a chocolatecontaining ethylcellulose according to the present invention.

Procedure 1

Deformation mechanical tests are carried out to demonstrate the heatresistance of chocolate. A Stable Microsystems mechanical tester wasused to deform pieces of chocolate of approximate dimensions 35×17×7 mm.Both control and heat resistant chocolate pieces manufactured asdescribed below were incubated in an oven at 40° C. (unless otherwisestated) for 2.5 hours. The pieces were then quickly transferred to thestainless steel base of the mechanical tester. A cylindrical probe of 18mm diameter was used to carry out a simple compression test. The probewas lowered vertically at a rate of 10 mm/s to a maximum deformation of4 mm along the 7 mm side of the chocolate piece. A clear yield force wasobserved in the proximity of 2 mm deformation (28.5% strain). Valuesquoted here are for grams force measured at 2 mm deformation.

Reference Example 1

A fat substitute is prepared as follows. Ethylcellulose 22 cp or 45 cp9% w/w (ETHOCEL®, Dow Chemical Co.) and 3% w/w SMS in a 30:70 w/wmixture of fully hydrogenated soybean oil with liquid soybean oil wereheated up 140° C. to ensure full solubilization of the polymer in oil.Upon cooling of the melt, at 100° C., soybean oil heated to 100° C. wasadded at a 1:2 ratio (1/3 dilution). The final concentration ofcomponents was 6% EC, 2% SMS, 20% fully hydrogenated soybean oil and 72%soybean oil. The mixture was then allowed to cool down and set. Fullyhydrogenated cottonseed oil, fully hydrogenated canola oil, beef tallow,lard, milkfat could also be added as the hardstock. This material hasthe functionality and texture of a fat.

Reference Example 2

A 10% ethylcellulose 22 cps gel containing 5% sorbitan monostearate inflaxseed oil was prepared. The gel was prepared by the thermal treatmentdescribed above and allowed to set at 22° C. for one day. In order toassess the rheological properties of the gel, a controlled stressrheological test was performed. Circular 1 cm diameter by 3 mm highpiece of the gel was cut out and placed on a piece of 60-grit woodsandpaper soaked in flaxseed oil. A piece of 60-grit wood sandpaper wasglued to a 1 cm diameter flat stainless steel geometry. The gel sampleon the oil-soaked piece of sandpaper (3×2 cm) were taped to the bottomPeltier plate of the rheometer. The sample was compressed manually toachieve a normal force of approximately 0.2N to ensure good mechanicalcontact and no slip. The rheometer was programmed to carry out a stresssweep from 1 to 4000 Pa at a frequency of 1 Hz. The results show thatthe test gel is very solid-like (firm gel), with a G′/G″ value of about4. The yield stress of the gel was about 100-300 Pa.

Reference Example 3

A 6 wt. % ethylcellulose 22 cp gel containing 2 wt. % SMS in palm kerneloil (PKO) was prepared by dissolving the components at 135° C., followedby allowing the gel to set at room temperature undisturbed. Theresulting gel was strong and showed no loss of free oil on standing at55° C. for 2 hours. The gel setting temperature was determined to be 75°C., which makes it suitable for addition to chocolate compositionswithout excessive heating of the chocolate.

Reference Example 4

A 5 wt. % ethylcellulose 22 cp gel containing 2 wt. % glycerolmonostearate (GMS) in palm kernel oil (PKO) was prepared by dissolvingthe components at 135° C., followed by allowing the gel to set at roomtemperature undisturbed. The resulting gel was strong and showed no lossof free oil on standing at 55° C. for 2 hours. The gel settingtemperature was determined to be 50° C., which makes it suitable foraddition to chocolate compositions without excessive heating of thechocolate.

Reference Example 5

A gel of 7 wt. % ethylcellulose 22 cp, 3.5% SMS in soya oil was preparedand tested as described above in Reference Example 2. The viscoelasticdata are shown in FIG. 4. It can be seen that the gel shows classicalgel behaviour with linear stress/strain behaviour up to a breakdownstress of about 1000 Pa, and with G′>>G″.

Example 1

A heat resistant chocolate-like confectionery product was preparedaccording to the following process. Ethylcellulose 22 cp or 45 cp powderand sorbitan monostearate were mixed with hydrogenated palm kernel oilat a ratio of from about 3:1:12 to about 3:1:24, preferably about18:6:76 (w/w/w). The mixture was then heated up on a hot plate to atemperature above the glass transition temperature of the ethylcellulosepolymer (Tg=130° C.) with constant mixing. The polymer solution shouldbe clear. A clear solution is indicative of the polymer being completelydissolved in the oil phase (140° C.). The mixture was then cooled to100° C. and added to fat-reduced (18% fat), 75-80° C. molten chocolateat a ratio of 1:5 (w/w) polymer solution:molten chocolate. The finalconcentration of EC in chocolate would be 3% w/w, and of SMS 1% w/w.After complete mixing, the chocolate substitute was then poured intomolds and cooled in a 5° C. cooling tunnel under convective cooling. Thefinal chocolate was allowed to set overnight. The next day, the heatresistance of the chocolate was tested by placing in an oven at 52° C.The chocolate did not melt and was firm and gel-like to the touch of ametal spatula. The control chocolate, to which only hydrogenated PKO wasadded, processed in the same way, melted and flowed completely uponagitation or touching. This heat resistance would allow distribution intropical countries, and would also impart resilience against temperatureabuse during the summer months in the northern and southern hemispheres.

Example 2

A heat resistant chocolate is provided by the solvent substitutionmethod as follows. ETHOCEL 45 cp and 100 cp were dissolved with constantstirring in 95-100% ethanol at a concentration of 20% (w/w) at roomtemperature. Compound milk chocolate (purchased from Bulk Barn,ingredients: sugar, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, cocoa, milkingredients, soy lecithin, natural flavor) or milk chocolate (purchasedfrom Bulk Barn, ingredients: sugar, milk ingredients, cocoa butter,unsweetened chocolate, soy lecithin, artificial flavor) was heated to50° C. until completely molten. This melt was mixed with theethylcellulose alcohol stock solution at a ratio of 90:10 w/w(chocolate:EC stock) and mixed thoroughly. The mix sometimes initiallystiffened and appeared “dry”, but with continuous mixing, it becameglossy and smooth again. The final composition of the chocolate was 90%(w/w) compound chocolate, 8% (w/w) alcohol and 2% (w/w) ethylcellulose.This chocolate preparation was softer than control milk chocolate anddid not have any heat resistance. The alcohol was then removed byplacing the chocolate pieces in a vacuum oven (50° C., 10 kPa) for 5hours, or left wrapped in aluminum foil at 30° C. for 7-9 days. Allalcohol was thus removed by either of these treatments. The chocolatewas then tested for heat resistance and found to remain firm at 55° C.relative to control. Moreover, the surface was non-sticky as well. Thus,the ethylcellulose (45 cp or 100 cp) had been successfully transferredfrom the alcohol to the chocolate fat matrix and imparted heatresistance, without the need for an excessive heat treatment.

Referring to Procedure 1 above, the control chocolate at 21° C.displayed a 2 mm yield force of 14700 g, while the same control at 40°C. had a yield force of 18.8 g. On the other hand, chocolates at 40° C.,50° C. and 86° C. prepared by our solvent substitution method had ayield force of 2080 g (40° C.), 859 g (50° C.) and 613 g (86° C.),respectively. Even at these high temperatures, all these heat resistantchocolates were quite firm, could be picked up by hand and werenon-sticky.

While both EC preparations can be used in the preparation of thechocolate product, the 100 cp alcohol solution was more viscous than the45 cp solution and thus more difficult to work with. The heat resistanceimparted by EC100 cp was only marginally greater than that of 45 cp.Thus, in terms of ease of handling, 45 cp is a preferred polymer forthis application.

Example 3

A heat-resistant chocolate was prepared by the fat substitution methodas follows.

First the gel, consisting of EC, SMS and palm kernel oil (PKO) was made.The ingredients were heated to 145° C. with stirring until the mix wascompletely clear. The gel was then left to set and for the fat tocrystallize undisturbed at room temperature. When the gel was needed forchocolate manufacture it was re-melted and stirred. The meltingtemperature was found to depend on the formula of the gel. For a gelcontaining 10.6% Ethocel® 10 cp and 3.18% SMS, the gel was heated to 68°C. and appeared as a thick, but flowable mass.

The second step was preparation of the dry ingredients. Powdered sugarwas made with refined granulated sugar using either a ball mill or ablender. Powdered sugar, cocoa powder (Sobeys Compliments® brand),lecithin and PGPR (if used) were combined. The cocoa powder was assumedto contain 20% fat as that was the indicated value on the nutritionfacts. The dry ingredients were mixed in a heated Hobart mixer on speed1 until homogeneous. The mixer was attached to a water bath set at 75°C. (temperature difference between the mixer and water bath was usuallyaround 10° C.).

Finally the warm, liquid gel was added to the warm, mixed dryingredients. The Hobart mixer was set to speed 1 until most of the dryingredients were wetted with the gel. The mixer was then set to speed 2and mixed until the ingredients formed a single, homogeneous mass ofchocolate. The chocolate was then mixed for an additional 60 sec. Thewarm chocolate was then moulded and refrigerated (5° C.) for 20-30 min.The chocolate was then demolded.

Example 4

The fat substitution procedure of Example 3 was repeated with thefollowing formulation in parts by weight:

Ethocel 10 cP 1.50 Sugar (powdered) 15.00 Cocoa Powder (20% Fat) 7.51PKO 7.27 Lecithin 0.16 PGPR 0.08

The resulting chocolate exhibited a 2 mm yield stress of 407 gf at 40°C., indicative of good heat resistance.

Example 5

The effect of varying the amount and the viscosity of ethylcellulose inthe solvent-substituted chocolate products of the invention wasinvestigated as follows.

Chocolates were prepared using the solvent substitution method.Solutions of 20% EC 45 cP, 20% EC 22 cP, and 25% EC 22 cP in EtOH weremade. These solutions were then added to compound milk chocolate fromBulk Barn. Results from 2 mm deformation tests at 40° C. are shown inFIG. 2. At equal concentrations of ethylcellulose the 20% solutions weremore heat resistant than the 25% solution. Furthermore, EC 22 cP showedmore heat resistance than EC 45 cP at the same concentration of EC mix.Generally, very good heat resistance is seen at around 2.0-2.5%ethylcellulose.

It was also found that chocolates hardened in the fridge showed lessheat resistance than chocolates with the same composition but hardenedat room temperature (2339.65 and 2950.85 gf respectively). However,chocolates hardened at room temperature were generally more difficult todemold than those hardened in the fridge.

Example 6

The effect of varying the compound chocolate composition and the sourceof ethylcellulose was studied by performing comparison tests similar tothose of Example 4 on a second compound milk chocolate starting material(Barry Callebaut) and on a dark compound chocolate (Barry Callebaut).

The solvent substitution method was used to produce heat resistantchocolate with Barry Callebaut compound milk and dark chocolates.Specifically, Milk Snaps and Dark Sweet Snaps were used. Heat resistantmilk chocolate was easily produced. However, dark compound chocolateproved difficult to use in the production of sufficiently heatresistant, yet mouldable chocolate. Various viscosities of polymerdissolved at 20% wt/wt levels in ethanol were incorporated into thechocolate. Results are depicted in FIG. 3A for milk chocolate and FIG.3B for dark chocolate. EC with viscosities 4 cP and 45 cP were from TheDow Chemical Company whereas EC 10 cP and 22 cP were from Sigma-AldrichCo. In all cases, there is a marked increase in heat resistance of thechocolate at 40° C. as the ethylcellulose content is increased towards2% w/w. Although there are differences in heat resistance of chocolatesmade with different EC viscosities, the main trend seems to be thatSigma-Aldrich Co EC tends to provide more heat resistance to thechocolate than EC from The Dow Chemical Company.

Example 7

The above examples are based on compound chocolate compositions. Inaddition, real chocolate compositions according to the invention wereprepared as follows.

Table top, seed, and direct methods of tempering were tried for milk,white, and dark chocolate. Seed chocolate was produced for use in aRevolation 2 Chocolate Tempering Machine (ChocoVision, Poughkeepsie,N.Y.) using the table top tempering method. The table top method startedby melting chocolate slowly in a microwave until a temperature around40° C. was attained. Approximately one third of the melted chocolate waspoured onto a cool, thick, metal table. The chocolate was then spreadout then folded back into a mound. This was repeated until some of thechocolate appeared lighter, thicker, and less shiny. This chocolate wasadded back to the rest of the chocolate and stirred. The spreading,folding and reincorporation steps were repeated until the chocolatereached a temperature of 28-29° C. If the chocolate became too cool thenit was warmed to its working temperature (31° C., 30° C., and 28° C. fordark, milk and white chocolate respectively). To ensure the chocolatewas in temper, the tip of a small spatula was dipped in the chocolateand left for a few minutes at room temperature. Temper was achieved ifafter a few minutes the chocolate was hard, glossy, smooth, and lackedstreaks. The properly tempered chocolate was then moulded and placed inthe fridge for 15-20 min. A cheese grater with fine grating slots wasused to shave the chocolate into small seeds. The seed chocolate wasthen stored and used as needed with the tempering machine.

To temper chocolate using the Revolation 2 chocolate was added to theassembled machine, melted and brought to 34.4° C. This temperature waschosen because it was the lowest temperature the machine would acceptfor the melting stage of tempering and would save time during thecooling process. However, if the chocolate pieces used showed signs ofbloom higher temperatures around 40° C. were used to ensure all crystalmemory was erased. Once melted, the chocolate was cooled to the workingtemperature mentioned previously. During cooling, seed chocolate wasslowly added to the melted chocolate. The amount of seed added wasapproximately 3-6% by weight of the total weight of chocolate. A plasticspatula was used to enhance mixing during this stage. When the workingtemperature was achieved the chocolate was checked as above to makecertain it was in temper.

ETHOCEL 22 cp in both 20 and 25% wt/wt in EtOH solutions wereincorporated into Barry Callebaut tempered Tulsa Dark, Kenosha Milk, andUltimate White chocolate at various concentrations. The EC mix was addedabout 10 min after the tempering process was completed once good temperwas confirmed. As previously observed, samples made with EC from 20% inEtOH solutions showed greater heat resistance than samples made with ECfrom 25% in EtOH solutions.

It was found that white chocolate required 1.6% EC to give 2000 gf.However, adding this much EC caused the white chocolate to thicken somuch that it was paste-like and would not flow enough to level-out inthe moulds. Efforts focused on thinning the chocolate to improvemouldability by adding cocoa butter (CB) or polyglycerol polyricinoleate(PGPR)

Results are shown in Table 1 with the yield forces at 40° C.

TABLE 1 % % CB % Force Chocolate EC Added to PGPR in at 2 mm Type 22 cpChocolate System Displacement Mouldability Milk 1.55 — — 2244.90 GoodWhite 1.55 6.60 — 1297.08 Good White 1.60 3.10 — 1463.38 Good White 1.601.60 — 1656.83 Good Dark 1.90 1.90 — 1027.03 Good Dark 1.90 0.90 —1239.43 Good Dark 1.90 0.90 — 1376.03 Good Dark 2.05 0.50 — 2476.95 OK(sets fast) Dark 1.95 — 0.50 1445.93 OK (sets fast) Dark 1.95 0.50 —1907.18 OK

Some of the chocolate compositions exhibited swirls or other non-uniformsurface appearance. This was found especially for dark chocolatecompositions. It was determined that the heat resistant dark chocolatewith best appearance was produced when no heat was added duringincorporation of EC, the mix was stirred for 60 s, the filled mouldswere placed in the fridge (5° C.) for 15 min and then held in the mouldat 20° C. for 45 min or more. This chocolate contained 1.95% EC 22 cPfrom a 20% EC in EtOH mix and had no added cocoa butter or PGPR.

Example 8

A real-type chocolate composition was made by the fat substitutionmethod, according to the following recipe in parts by weight:

Ethocel 10 cp 1.5 SMS 0.5 Sugar (powdered) 25.02 Cocoa Powder (20% Fat)10.62 Cocoa Butter 12.12 Lecithin 0.27

The fat phase of a cocoa butter chocolate was made into an organogel bymixing ethylcellulose (EC) 10 cP and sorbitan monostearate (SMS) withcocoa butter. The mix was heated with stirring until the solidsdissolved at ≈150° C. The mix was left to set at room temperature (25°C.). After having set, the gel was heated by placing in a water bath at45° C. While the gel was being heated, cocoa powder, sugar and lecithinwere added to a Hobart mixer and mixed at speed 1. The mixing bowl washeated by an attached circulating water bath set at 29° C. Once melted,one third of the cocoa butter gel was transferred to a cool, thick,metal table for tempering. The gel was spread thinly on the table andthen folded back into a mound. This was repeated until the gel reached atemperature around 28° C. The gel was then added back to the rest of thegel and stirred. The spreading, folding and reincorporation steps wererepeated until the whole batch of gel reached a temperature of 28-29° C.The gel was then added to the mixing bowl. The ingredients were blendedin the mixer at speed 1 until the powders appeared wetted with the oil.The mixer was then turned to speed 2. The mix was allowed to blend untilit looked homogeneous and formed a single ball of dough-like chocolate(about 1.5 min). The chocolate was moulded and then hardened in arefrigerator (5° C.) for 20 min. The chocolates were then tested forheat resistance at 40° C. The yield force at 2 mm displacement was foundto be 108 gf; which is considerably higher than for a pure cocoa-butterreal chocolate, since pure cocoa butter melts below 40° C.

Example 9

The method of Example 3 was repeated to make a series of chocolatecompositions in which a fraction of the PICO has been replaced by 10%,20% and 30% by weight, based on the weight of the PKO, of flaxseed oil(reference examples) or ethylcellulose-gelled flaxseed oil/PKO blends,as follows (formulations in weight %):

TABLE 2 10% 20% 30% 10% Oleo- 20% Oleo- 30% Oleo- Control Oil gel Oilgel Oil gel sugar 50.01 50 50.01 50.01 50.01 50.01 50.01 Cocoa (20%25.01 25.01 24.53 25.01 24.04 25 23.56 fat) PKO 24.49 21.55 21.64 18.5918.78 15.65 15.93 Flaxseed Oil  2.95  2.95  5.9  5.91  8.85  8.85Lecithin  0.51  0.51  0.51  0.51  0.51  0.51  0.51 Ethocel 10 cp  0.3 0.59  0.89 SMS  0.09  0.18  0.27

Measurements of yield stress of the resulting chocolate compositionsshowed an increase in the measured yield stress at 2 mm displacement forthe compositions made with oleogels relative to those made with equalamounts of oil.

This example demonstrates that the formation of oleogels withethylcellulose may permit the replacement of cocoa butter or PKO inconventional chocolate by low viscosity oils such as flaxseed oil,thereby greatly expanding the range of available chocolate compositions.

Example 10

Fat-based cream fillings were prepared to study the effect of usinggelled oils on fat migration, as follows.

Cream fillings were prepared with 40% hard fat and 60% oil or organogel.The hard fat used was interesterified hydrogenated palm oil (IHPO) andthe oils used were either canola or high oleic sunflower oil (HOSO). Theorganogel was prepared by mixing 6% ethylcellulose (EC) cP 45 and 2%sorbitan monostearate (SMS) in oil. The mix was then heated withstirring until the solids dissolved at ≈150° C. The mix was left to setat room temperature (25° C.). After having set, the gel was heated byplacing in a water bath at 60° C. The warmed gel was then added to themelted, interesterified hydrogenated palm oil (IHPO). A control blendwas prepared by mixing oil at 60° C. and melted IHPO. The procedureswere the same for sample and control from this point forward. The blendswere mixed on a stir plate (400 rpm) for 1 min. The blends were thenpoured into cylindrical moulds (diameter=2 cm, length=0.4 cm) and leftat room temperature until set. The moulds were placed in a refrigerator(5° C.) for 20 min to ease in demoulding of the cream pucks. The creampucks may then be coated in chocolate to form filled chocolatesaccording to the invention, for example by dipping or enrobing in meltedchocolate in conventional fashion.

In order to compare oil migration rates, filter papers were weighed andone cream puck was weighed and placed on the centre of the paper. Creamsamples were then placed in an incubator at either 20 or 25° C. Thepucks were periodically removed and the weight of the paper recorded tomonitor the amount of oil leaked. The cream fillings were formulated asfollows:

TABLE 3 Recipe Actual “HOSO Gel” Sample IHPO 20 20 HOSO 27.6 27.6 EC 1.81.8 SMS 0.6 0.6 “HOSO Oil” Control IHPO 20 20 HOSO 30 30 “Canola Gel”Sample IHPO 20 20 Canola Oil 27.6 27.61 EC 1.8 1.8 SMS 0.6 0.6 “CanolaOil” Control IHPO 20 20 Canola Oil 30 30.01

The results of the oil migration study at 20° C. are shown in FIG. 5. Itcan be seen that the creams formulated with the oleogels exhibit minimaloil migration into the filter paper compared to the creams formulatedwith the oils. This is a clear indication that chocolates filled withthe oleogel formulations will exhibit less oil migration problems.

The present invention provides novel methods of preparing chocolatecompositions and filled chocolates. The methods can be used in a varietyof applications such as to increase heat resistance of chocolate, toincorporate a wide range oils in chocolate, and/or to reduce oilmigration in filled chocolates.

The above embodiments have been described by way of example only. Manyother embodiments falling within the scope of the accompanying claimswill be apparent to the skilled reader.

1. A heat resistant chocolate containing ethylcellulose.
 2. A chocolatecomposition according to claim 1, containing from 1 wt. % to about 3 wt.% of ethylcellulose.
 3. A chocolate composition according to claim 1,having a yield stress at 40° C. greater than about 300 gf.
 4. Achocolate composition comprising an ethylcellulose oleogel.
 5. A filledchocolate product having a chocolate coating and a filling, wherein thefilling comprises an ethylcellulose oleogel.
 6. A chocolate compositionaccording to claim 4 or 5 wherein the oil component of said oleogel isselected from the group consisting of Soybean oil, Canola oil, Corn oil,Sunflower oil, Safflower oil, Flaxseed oil, Almond oil, Peanut oil, Fishoil, Algal oil, Palm oil, Palm stearin, Palm olein, Palm kernel oil,High oleic soybean/canola/sunflower/safflower oils, Hydrogenated palmkernel oil, Hydrogenated palm stearin, Fully hydrogenatedsoybean/canola/cottonseed oils, High stearic sunflower oil,enzymatically and chemically interesterified oils, butteroil, cocoabutter, avocado oil, almond oil, coconut oil, and cottonseed oil.
 7. Achocolate composition according to claim 6 wherein the oil is palmkernel oil or cocoa butter or a mixture thereof.
 8. A chocolatecomposition according to any preceding claim, wherein the oleogelfurther comprises a surfactant.
 9. A chocolate composition according toclaim 8 wherein the surfactant is selected from the group consisting ofPolyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (Tween 80), Polyoxyethylene sorbitanmonostearate (Tween 60), Sorbitan monooleate (SMO or Span 80), Sorbitanmonostearate (SMS or Span 60), Glyceryl monooleate (GMO), Glycerylmonostearate (GMS), Glyceryl monopalmitate (GMP), Polyglyceryl ester oflauric acid-polyglyceryl polylaurate (PGPL), Polyglyceryl ester ofstearic acid-polyglyeryl polystearate (PGPS), Polyglyceryl ester ofoleic acid (PGPO)-Polyglyceryl polyoleate (PGPO), and Polyglyceryl esterof ricinoleic acid (PGPR)-Polyglyceryl polyricinoleate (PGPR).
 10. Achocolate composition according to claim 9 wherein the surfactant isselected from the group consisting of SMS, GMS, SMO, GMO and PGPL.
 11. Achocolate composition according to claim 10 wherein the surfactant isSMS.
 12. A chocolate composition according to claim 8, wherein thesurfactant is an ester of a saturated C12-C24 fatty acid with apolyhydric alcohol having four or more hydroxyl groups.
 13. A chocolatecomposition according to claim 8, wherein theethylcellulose-to-surfactant ratio in the gelled oil is from 10:1 to 1:1w/w.
 14. A method of preparing a chocolate composition, said methodcomprising: a) preparing a mixture of food-grade ethylcellulose in anedible oil; b) adding a surfactant to the ethylcellulose and oilmixture; c) heating the ethylcellulose/oil/surfactant mixture to atemperature above the glass transition temperature of the ethylcellulosewith mixing to form an oleogel stock, followed by d) adding this stockto a reduced fat chocolate composition.
 15. A method according to claim14, said method comprising the steps of: a.) preparing a mixture ofethylcellulose, sorbitan monostearate (SMS) and an oil at a ratio ofabout 18:6:76 w/w/w, b) heating the mixture to a temperature above theglass transition temperature of the ethylcellulose polymer while mixing,and c) adding this stock to a reduced fat liquid chocolate compositionat 60° C. to 90° C. at 1:3 to 1:9(w/w) levels; and d) cooling themixture to form said chocolate.
 16. A method of preparing heat resistantchocolate, said method comprising the steps of: a) preparing a mixtureof ethylcellulose and 95-100% ethanol b) allowing the ethycellulose todissolve completely in the ethanol to form an ethylcellulose-ethanolcomposition, c) adding the composition to a molten chocolate stock at aratio of about 5-15% w/w to form a chocolate composition, d) cooling thechocolate composition to about 5-15° C., and e) removing the alcoholfrom the chocolate composition.
 17. A method according to claim 16wherein the alcohol is removed in a vacuum oven or by simple evaporationunder atmospheric pressure between 20° C. and 60° C.